Alexander Shlemenko used a mix of punishing shots to the head and body to finish off Maiquel Falcao and claim the Bellator middleweight title in the featured attraction at Bellator 88 on Thursday night.

The event, which emanated from The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, also saw the completion of the quarterfinals of Bellator's season eight featherweight tournament. Marlon Sandro, Mike Richman, Alexandre Bezerra and Magomedrasul Khasbulaev all moved on to the semifinals with victories.

Be sure to check back here at 8 PM ET to watch the live preliminary bouts for tonight's Bellator 88 event. The undercard is headlined by a featherweight tournament quarterfinal bout between Alexandre Bezerra and Genair da Silva. The show's main card will air on Spike starting at 10 PM ET.

The UFC continues to finalize fights in preparation for their April shows.

A quartet of fights has been added to the list of UFC on FOX 7 preliminary bouts, all in the lightweight division. Recent Strikeforce signees Jorge Masvidal and Roger Bowling will make their UFC debuts against Tim Means and Anthony Njokuani respectively. TUF Smashes lightweight winner Norman Parke will face Jon Tuck in his first real UFC test. Undefeated prospect Myles Jury will also meet Ramsey Nijem.

In addition, a pivotal featherweight matchup between Brad Pickett and Mike Easton has been signed as well as a 145 pound meeting between Marcus Brimage, who remains undefeated in the UFC, and newcomer Conor McGregor, who currently holds titles in the featherweight and lightweight division in the Cage Warriors promotion.

Bellator will crown a new middleweight champion and kick off the start of its season eight featherweight tournament during Bellator 88 this evening from Duluth, Georgia.

Alexander Shlemenko and Maiquel Falcao meet for the vacant Bellator 185 pound title and Marlon Sandro and Mike Richman will headline an eight-man field vying for a shot at the belt at 145 pounds. The show's main card will air live on Spike starting at 10 PM. You can also catch the preliminary bouts right here on MMA on Tap starting at 8 PM ET.

All 18 fighters made weight for tomorrow night's Bellator 88 event, which takes place at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.

Maiquel Falcao and Alexander Shlemenko, the last two fighters to win a middleweight tournament, will clash for the vacant Bellator middleweight title, left behind by Hector Lombard after signing with the UFC. In addition, Marlon Sandro and Mike Richman will headline an eight-man field vying for a shot at the belt at 145 pounds.

Newport Beach, CA. – After nearly five years in the making, Bellator MMA made its long awaited debut on Spike TV in January as Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran opened the night with a dominant win over star Brazilian striker Patricio Pitbull, reaching over 1.2 million viewers in the process. On April 4th, Bellator will close out its eighth season from Ovation Hall at Revel in Atlantic City, NJ as Curran once again puts his Bellator Featherweight Title on the line against relentless Daniel Straus live on Spike TV. The night will also feature the return of Tiger Schulmann products Lyman Good and Munah Holland, as well as the Bellator debut of New Jersey fan favorite Tom DeBlass.

Widely regarded as one of the top two featherweights in the world, Curran brings a dominating 18-4 record into his latest title defense, including victories over Marlon Sandro, Roger Huerta, Mike Ricci, and Straus himself, as Curran collected a knock out win over Straus early in both of their careers. Even with the victory over Straus in his back pocket, Curran is well aware both fighters have grown tremendously over the last four years.

“This may end up being the most challenging fight I’ve faced up this point,” Curran said. “Daniel is going to make for a very tough challenge, but I know what I’m capable of. I feel like I’m always growing as a fighter, and the sky is really the limit for me. I’ve got the belt, and I’m not letting anyone take it away from me.”

UFC lightweight Thiago Tavares has tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following his first-round TKO loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on FX 7 on January 19 in Brazil.

The UFC announced the result this afternoon. Tatame was the first to report the news. Tavares will receive a nine-month suspension and will also have to pass a drug test following the suspension in order to be cleared to fight again.

An official statement from the UFC regarding the matter is after the jump. The most interesting tidbit includes clarification about rumors circulating that Vitor Belfort had tested positive for a banned substance. It also mentions that Belfort has been approved for testosterone replacement therapy.

In the above video from last night's "UFC Tonight" broadcast, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez talks to Ariel Helwani about a host of topics including when he would like to return to action, fighting training partner Daniel Cormier, and rematches with Antonio Silva and Junior dos Santos among other things.

Another week gone by and another offering from Bellator is on the docket for this Thursday night as the promotion will feature a middleweight championship bout as well as the start of the season eight featherweight tournament.

Maiquel Falcao and Alexander Shlemenko, the last two fighters to win a middleweight tournament, will clash for the vacant Bellator middleweight title, left behind by Hector Lombard after signing with the UFC. In addition, Marlon Sandro and Mike Richman will headline an eight-man field vying for a shot at the belt at 145 pounds.

After the jump, check out three things that you should watch for during tomorrow night's telecast.